zero-sum

American  

[zeer-oh-suhm] / ˈzɪər oʊˌsʌm /

adjective

1. of or denoting a system in which the sum of the gains equals the sum of the losses.

   a zero-sum economy.

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Etymology

Origin of zero-sum

First recorded in 1955–60

Example Sentences

“Now there’s a record. It’s easy when you’re the activist fighting the system. But when you’re in there, you realize it’s a zero-sum game,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 17, 2026

These won’t change the fact that housing remains a zero-sum game.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 20, 2026

“To the victor nations go the spoils,” Anton wrote in a 2019 essay in Foreign Policy, crystallizing a worldview that sees international relations as zero-sum competition where might makes right.

From Salon • Jan. 7, 2026

It’s not necessarily a zero-sum game between the two companies.

From Barron's • Dec. 1, 2025

That locked the two labs into a zero-sum game that only one could win unless both compromised significantly.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik